A New Knight
by Samantha33
Summary: After nearly being killed, Trinity Colte finds herself at the Knight Estate and face-to-face with a secret that has been kept from her for 20 years.
1. The End of the Beginning

Disclaimer: Knight Rider was developed and belongs to Glen A. Larson as is all characters related to that series. Trinity Colte is my own character created for this story as is all characters related to her existance. The Los Angeles Police Department is a service of Los Angeles, California.  
  
*****  
  
The lock clicked as it gave way to the turn of a key. Trinity Colte stumbled forward through the door after it became unstuck, dropping the bag of groceries she had in hand. Silently cursing under her breath, she picked up the contents of the broken bag and set them on the nearby table. First thing in the morning, the land lord would be getting a call.  
  
Tossing the bag in the trash, Trinity began to put away the food. The blinking red light of the answering machine caught her attention. Trinity sighed and rewound the tape to listen.  
  
"Ms. Colte, this is the First National Bank..." the tape screached as she fast forwarded through the message to the next one.  
  
"Trin, hey, its, uh, Zeke, from work. I, uh, wanted to know if, um, you wanted to go out, er, Friday night..." screach, next message.  
  
"Trinity dear, it's mom." Colte let out an annoyed sigh, but let the message play. As she listened, she finished putting the food away and started to clean up. Her apartment was a mess. Clothes and empty TV dinners were strewn about the living room. This was the life of the L.A. police officer.  
  
The message from Trinity's mother, Patricia Colte, had finally ended. She had asked her daughter to come home for dinner and to spend some time with the family, next week. Trinity made a mental note to clear her schedule. With an arm load of clothes, Colte headed for the bathroom to dispose of them into the laundry basket. Just at that time, there came a knock at the door.  
  
"Just a minute," she called over her shoulder as she headed into the bathroom. Only the sound of a more persistant knock followed her. Trinity just shook her head and threw the clothes into the basket. As she emerged from the bathroom, the knocking continued.  
  
"I'm coming, just hold on a sec!" she was slightly annoyed at how impatient they were being. As Colte reached the door, she had just barely unlocked it when she was forced backward. The wood splintered from the impact and burst open. A large, burley man stepped through the door frame and drew a gun. Recovering from the blow, Trinity managed to get to her feet and look at the assailant. She recognized him as one of the henchman of Billie Maddison, a cocaine dealer she had taken out only the week before. He had vowed revenge on the rookie cop, but Trinity brushed it off as an empty threat.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Trinity backed up slowly as the potential killer advanced. The man just grinned and raised the gun. Colte desperately searched for something, anything, that would help prevent the inevitable. Realizing that she was near the fire escape, Trinity decided to make a run for. As she turned around, the gunman set his weapon and aimed. Trinity didn't even make it as far as the window before the blood-chilling shot rang out. The body of the young cop fell lifelessly to the floor just infront of the window. With a sadistic laugh, the killer left the apartment.  
  
An off tune beep filled the room as the answering machine switched to the final message. The rich, deep, British voice was calm and collected.  
  
"Ms. Colte, my name is Devon Miles. I work for the Foundation for Law and Government..." 


	2. Shocking Revelations

Disclaimer: Knight Rider was developed and belongs to Glen A. Larson as is all characters related to that series. Trinity Colte is my own character created for this story as is all characters related to her existance. The Los Angeles Police Department is a service of Los Angeles, California.  
  
*****  
  
A sleek, black car streaked along the open highway just outside Los Angeles. There were no other cars within sight as the sun began to set. The orange and pink rays danced across the body of the car. Inside, the melody of a beloved oldy eminated through the speakers. It mixed with the voice of the lone passenger as he sang along with the lyrics.  
  
"Michael, Devon's calling." KITT's Boston accent came in over the sound of the music and his driver's voice. After hearing this, Michael turned the music off and hit a few buttons over his head. "Put him through, partner." At his request, the monitor to the right switched on, revealing the face of Devon Miles.  
  
"Devon!" Michael Knight smiled as he met the man with his usual greeting.  
  
"Michael, I just received some very interesting news that you may want to hear." his face showed the concern that he felt over the turn of events that had just recently struck the Foundation.  
  
"Shoot." Knight kept one eye on Devon and the other on the road as he listened, his curiosity piqued.  
  
"Not now. How soon can you return to the Foundation Headquarters?" he leaned forward against the desk, his eyes looking intently at the screen.  
  
Michael looked away from the screen for a moment, now slightly concerned, "KITT?"  
  
"It would take approximately four hours to reach the Foundation at our current speed." the red lights jumped on the dash as he spoke.  
  
"Devon, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" Michael's bright blue eyes flashed as he brow furrowed in both concern and confusion.  
  
"There have been some recent developments in the past few days. A police officer was nearly killed last night. We believe the killer was hired by Billie Maddison, a notorious cocaine dealer in the greater Los Angeles area." Devon lightly stepped around the real reason he was contacting Michael, but had to say something to convince him to return to the Foundation Headquarters.  
  
"Billie Maddison, eh?" he recalled seeing a headline for the arrest, but never read the article that followed. "Whose the officer and how does he tie in with this guy?" the car had slightly picked up speed.  
  
"Her name is Trinity Colte. She was the one who brought Maddison in." there was a slight pause as Devon took a deep breath, "They believe that she is dead, Michael." That caught the driver's attention.  
  
"Dead?" Devon nodded. Michael let the information sink in before he raised his hand to the panel above the dash, "We're on our way!" he pushed a few select buttons and the image of Miles disappeared. Silence followed the conversation until KITT spoke.  
  
"What did he mean by dead?" the flashing from the dashboard broke Michael's train of though and he took a deep, steadying breath. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts before answering.  
  
"Well, it means what he said, buddy. Trinity Colte is dead, on paper at least. I'm guessing that Devon intervened and she's probably at the Estate as we speak." his eyes flickered back to the road as the sun slipped behind the hills.  
  
"But Michael, the last time Devon did that was..."  
  
"I know, buddy. I know." he adjusted the seat slightly and settled in for the long drive home. Thoughts raced through his mind as he reflected on what Devon had said about the woman being 'dead'. That meant that there was something up and things were about to change for the Foundation.  
  
*****  
  
Devon Miles stared out the window of his office as the stars began to peak through the clouds. He was contemplating how he would tell Michael the real reason as to why he was called back. Shuffling some papers around, he looked at the document that sat on top. It was a copy of Trinity Colte's death certificate, needed for the Foundations records. With a sigh he stood up and walked across the room to the filing cabinet. Upon opening the drawer, he pulled out her file and opened it. Pausing for a moment, Devon read through the information on the first page.  
  
"Name, Trinity M. Colte. Date of birth, May 27, 1977. Place of birth, Monterey, California." he shook his head at the information there. She was just barely twenty years old. Further down it named her parents, Patricia and Andrew Colte. The file mentioned that she had been adopted in early June of the same year as her birth. Slipping the death certificate into it's rightful place among the papers, Devon closed the file and placed it back into the cabinet.  
  
Just days before a woman had come to the Foundation seeking Devon. She introduced herself as a friend of Stefanie, Michael's old love. Devon had ushered her into his office, interested as to why she had come to see him. The woman, a Mary Riften, had come to the Estate to tell a secret that had been kept for twenty years. Apparently, Stefanie had given birth to a baby girl without the father, Michael, knowing. She had managed to keep it a secret only telling one person, Mary. This news had intrigued Devon and he made an effort to contact this child, now a full grown woman by the name of Trinity Colte.  
  
He had no such luck in his first few attempts, but after the third try failed he left a message on her answering machine. Hours later, the Foundation's communications department had picked up an emergency call going out from Trinity's apartment building. Pulling a few strings, Devon sent out the Foundation's own emergency medical team and did his magic. Later that night, Trinity Colte had been pronounced dead at L.A.'s County General Hospital. At that same time, the Foundation's doctors were finishing up a life-saving surgery.  
  
Now it was up to Devon to tell Michael what had been kept from him for the last two decades. It wasn't going to be easy, and he had no idea how Michael would react to the news. Stepping over to the window, he unlatched the lock and slightly pushed it open. The cool night air slipped in through the opening and rustling the loose papers on the desk. Devon sighed and went back to his work. There were still some loose ends to tie up concering the "death" of officer Colte and more thinking through before Michael and KITT returned. 


	3. The Truth Revealed

It was around midnight when the sleek Trans Am pulled into the circle drive. The engine was virtually noiseless as KITT rolled to a stop in front of the Estate. Turning the engine off, Michael sat there for a few moments.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Michael?" KITT had been monitoring his partner's vital signs ever since after the call from Devon. He had seen the rise in curiosity over Devon's message. There was always some sort of interest in getting a new addition to the Foundation, but the fact that this woman was a police officer sent the message to Michael that a new field operative was in the works.  
  
There was a sharp intake of breath as Michael came back from his thoughts, "Just trying to figure out what Devon is up to, pal." He started shutting down all of KITT's non-essential systems as he spoke. After the last system had been powered down, Knight reached for the handle and opened the door.  
  
"Good night, KITT." he stepped out of the car and grabbed a small duffle bag out of the back seat before gently shutting the door.  
  
"Good night, Michael." The scanner on the front slowed down to a lazy pace, and the headlights sunk under the hood.  
  
Michael slowly made his way up the small path to the Estate. He couldn't help but think that Devon was hiding something from him about this woman. There was more there than what he was told, he could feel it. It had been years since the last field operative came to FLAG. He had been a hot-headed detective that had a knack for getting into trouble. Why the Foundation picked him, Michael didn't know. It was only a matter of months before the man got himself really killed.  
  
Approaching the door, Michael entered a security code on the side panel and quietly opened the door. The main foyer was silent and the room dark. With a heavy sigh, Michael readjusted his grip on the bag and headed up the long staircase to the upper levels. Walking down the hallway towards his room, he heard the familiar beep of a heart monitor coming through a door that stood ajar. Leaning in, he saw the form of a person laying on the bed next to the machine. Opening the door a bit more, he saw that it was Trinity Colte. The moonlight danced across the room, lighting up every part of the bed, except the area near the headboard.  
  
Michael stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him, making his way back down the hall. Once in his room, he gave no further thought to the woman and tossed the bag in a corner. Sitting at the end of the bed, Michael slipped off his boots and socks. After tossing those into the corner, he layed back on the blanket and moments later was fast asleep.  
  
*****  
  
The sun shone brightly through the window as the birds chirped in a nearby tree. A ray of light made its way along the floor and across the bed, eventually shining on Michael's face. Pulled out of a dreamless sleep, he raised an arm to block the light. Still half asleep, he shifted his position and turned away from the window. Just as he was about to go back to sleep, there came a gentle knocking at the door. Michael murmurred something inaudible and folded the pillow over his head. Slowly the door opened and Bonnie peaked her head around the corner.  
  
"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" she called as she opened the door fully and walked across the room, pulling the curtains wide open.  
  
"Mm, I'll rise but I refuse to shine." came the muffled call from beneathe the pillow. Bonnie grinned and tugged at the pillow case, freeing it from Michael's grip. He rolled over and looked at her through squinted eyes. She laughed at the sight of his ruffled hair and sleepy eyes. Patting him on the knee, she headed towards the closet and pulled out some clean clothes and tossed them on the bed.  
  
"Devon wants to meet with you in his office in half an hour." she headed back toward the door. Michael just grumbled something and waved her out of the room. Bonnie smiled and shut the door behind her as she left. Laying back on the covers, Michael let his eyes adjust to the light before getting up to change. About twenty minutes later he was out the door for a quick bite to eat and then off to meet with Devon.  
  
*****  
  
The Foundation's CEO was leaning against the large oak desk reading a file when Michael knocked and entered through the open door. Devon looked up and ushered him in. He hadn't expected him so early and was slightly unprepared. Setting down the papers, he motioned for Michael to take a seat on a nearby couch. Devon followed close behind and sat in the chair opposite.  
  
"Devon, what is this all about?" Michael leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He had made up his mind to come straight out and ask what Devon was up to.  
  
The question threw him off a bit and for a moment or two he stared blankly at Michael. "You are aware of our new patient..." he trailed off as he stood once more and paced behind the chair.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, a few weeks ago she busted a drug ring, and brought in the leader." he turned back towards Knight.  
  
"Maddison. Yeah, you told me." Michael was getting slightly irritated now.  
  
"It turns out that he voiced his intention to seek revenge..." Devon was cut off.  
  
"Devon, lose the cover story. I know all about Maddison and the attempted murder. What is really going on here?" he stood up and took a step forward.  
  
"What do you mean?" he tried to play coy, but knew that it wasn't going to work on Michael.  
  
"You know what I mean. Bringing in this woman to train as a new operative and using the case to cover it up." he had taken a few more steps forward and now his voice slightly elevated.  
  
Devon gave up with a sigh, "I know." he sat back down in the chair, "These past few days have been a whirlwind. Things haven't gone as planned." he leaned back, raising his hand to his forehead. Michael also sat back down, more confused than ever.  
  
He asked again, "Devon, what is going on here?" Michael had calmed down now and was back to leaning on his knees, his eyes fixated on the man across from him.  
  
"A woman by the name of Mary Riften came to see me three days ago. She told me that she had a some information, a secret, that she couldn't keep any longer." Devon rested his hand on the arm of the chair and looked at Michael.  
  
"Mary Riften? She was one of Stevie's friends." his eyes wandered as painful memories came flooding back to him.  
  
"Yes, and what she had to tell was a secret, indeed." as Devon prepared to reveal the information, he was glad that Michael was sitting down. "Do you remember when you and Stefanie first met?" Michael nodded, recalling that day when he graduated from the police academy. Stevie had been at the ceremony for a friend of hers and had literally ran into a then Michael Long at the punch bowl. She had spilt both glasses of punch on her white blouse. Michael apologized, but she had brushed it off as a mistake. They had spent the rest of the night talking and laughing.  
  
Devon saw him slip into a memory and continued on in order to keep his attention, "It seems that she took a little piece of you home when she left." he saw Michael's head come up and the confusion in his eyes.  
  
"Approximately nine months after you met her, Stefanie gave birth to a baby girl." he crossed his arms and watched as a wave of emotions crossed Michael's face. First shock, followed by anger, and then complete remorse.  
  
"A girl?"  
  
"Yes. Stefanie decided that she wasn't ready to be a mother and to a child whose father she hardly knew at the time. After they were released from the hospital, she put the baby up for adoption. A Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Colte took the infant home only days later." at that time there came a knocking at the door. Devon stood up, but Michael stayed seated still paralyzed by the news. Opening the door, Miles saw Bonnie standing there. He motioned for her to enter. Stepping inside she saw the look on Michael's face and knew at once that Devon had told him. Turning to face Devon, she spoke.  
  
"Trinity's vitals have stabalized more. She should be waking up within the hour." after Bonnie had finished what she came to do, she went over and sat down next to Michael. He felt her rest a hand on his shoulder and looked up at her and then at Devon, still dwelling on his last words.  
  
"Trinity?" Devon nodded. Shaking his head, Michael got up and headed for the door.  
  
"Michael, where are you going?" Bonnie stood and followed him to the door of the office.  
  
"I need some time to think this over. You know how to reach me." without another word he was out the door. Moments later he emerged from the Estate pulling on his jacket and walked over to where KITT was parked. Michael activated all the systems as he hopped into the driver's seat and revved the engine.  
  
KITT was cautious at first, able to tell that something was bothering Michael by the way he acted, "I take it you found out what Devon was hiding?" the dashboard came to life and Knight peeled out of the driveway.  
  
"You bet I did. You know what he was told me?" he slowed to a stop at an intersection and waited for the light to turn green.  
  
"I haven't the faintest." came the quick reply.  
  
"I have a daughter." he almost whispered it, but KITT was still able to pick up what was said. Sensing that it was a touchy subject at the time, he kept his tweeters shut. The light turned green and they were off in a haze of burned rubber.  
  
***** 


	4. Waking Moments

The gentle hum of the equipement was the only sound in the room as the doctor entered. Clipboard and pen in hand, he checked the monitor and took a few notes. He adjusted a few dials and went back to the clipboard. It had been almost forty eight hours since Trinity had been shot and now only a matter of time before she woke up. The doctor moved over by the window and pushed aside the curtains. The sun shone brightly, flooding every nook and cranny with light. A faint moan broke the steady rythmn of the machines.  
  
"Well, well, well. Sleeping beauty awakes." turning away from the window, the doctor walked back over to the bed.  
  
"Wh...where am I?" Trinity tried to sit up right away but became dizzy and rested her head back onto the pillow. She blinked a few times as everything around her began to come into focus.  
  
"Don't worry, you're in good hands," he moved to the end of the bed, "My name is Dr. Henry Alby," all that Trinity could manage at that moment was a slight nod, her head was still spinning. Alby made a small note and continued, "Tell me, do you remember what happened?" he took a seat and placed the clipboard in his lap.  
  
Trinity took a moment as she tried to recall the events, "I was cleaning my apartment, there was a knock at the door," an image of the a man breaking down the door flashed through her mind, "There was a man, he had a gun in his hand. He aimed it at me, I tried to get away..." she trailed off and took a deep breath. Her memory was still a little foggy from all the stress. Alby noted this.  
  
"That's good," he gave her a reassuring smile, scribbled some more on the paper and stood up, "The man you saw shot you. The entry wound was here." Doctor Alby pointed to an x-ray hanging off to the side. Colte turned her head slightly to look. There was a dark spot just near where her heart was on the x-ray. When she saw this, something clicked in her mind.  
  
"There was a voice..." she looked over at the doctor.  
  
"Your answering machine. The paramedics found it on when they arrived on scene." he removed the IV from her arm as well as other various tubes. A few minutes passed where it was silent between the two. Looking around, Trinity noticed the early-19th century deco. This wasn't any ordinary hospital.  
  
"Where exactly am I?" the doctor was just about to answer when Devon walked into the room.  
  
"You are at the Knight Estate." he answered then turned to the doctor, "Thank you, Henry." Alby nodded and left the room.  
  
By this time, Trinity had become more aware and was now able to sit up some, "And you are?" she gave him a skeptical look.  
  
"Devon Miles." he settled into a chair next to the bed.  
  
"Miles? I heard that name after...I was shot." Colte looked away in thought and then back up at the man sitting to her left.  
  
"Yes. I left a message on your answering machine. I had been trying to contact you for a few days." he leaned back in the chair and folded his hands. "I'm the head of the Foundation for Law and Government, also known as FLAG."  
  
Trinity was getting slightly confused now, "What exactly am I doing here?" the question that Devon had come to answer.  
  
"My original intention was to share some rather...shocking information with you, but as you can see, those plans have changed." he indicated the x-ray. Devon continued before she could ask, "Your attempted murder revealed an entirely different opportunity for the Foundation."  
  
"What kind of opportunity?" her curiousity had been unleashed and she sat forward, listening intently.  
  
"The main goal of the Foundation is to bring those criminals to justice who are beyond the reach of the law. Over the past few years we have begun a search to find more field operatives, a job that has many requirements." he looked to her, searching her face for a reaction.  
  
"I don't understand. What has any of this got to do with me? You said that you contacted me for a different reason." Devon nodded in recognition. It would be best if he told her about Michael first.  
  
"Yes. Quite right." he shifted in the chair, "Before I reveal the true reason of my call, I must inform you of something else. Let me warn you now that it will be very unpleasant." Trinity took a deep breath to steady herself. A worse case scenerio flashed through her mind. She pictured him telling her that her parents were dead and she was all alone. There was no way that she was ready for the real news.  
  
"Due to the extreme nature of the situation, the Foundation was forced to take dramatic steps in the process of saving your life. All records pertaining to Officer Trinity Colte of the Los Angeles Police Department have been closed." he stayed calm as he relayed the information, though the confusion on the women's face grew.  
  
"Closed? How?"  
  
"In all actuality, your death certificate has been signed." shock became apparent, "I am sorry that things had to end this way, but it was absolutely neccesary for your safety." Devon watched as what he said sunk in and processed in her mind. He was not prepared to see the look on her face next.  
  
As Mr. Miles had informed her of her "death", Trinity felt the room about her begin to spin and closed her eyes. Just now, as she had opened them, Devon was brought back to earlier that morning to the conversation with Michael. A slight chill coursed down his spine as he seemingly looked into the same pair of eyes. After several moments of silence, Devon stood from his chair.  
  
"The doctor has told me that you are strong enough to move around freely. Why not join me in my office and we can talk more about this over lunch?" Still emotionaly paralyzed, Trinity managed a slight nod and watched as the man left her room. A few beats later she came to her senses. Glancing around the room Trinity noticed a set of clothes on a nearby bench. She moved her legs around and let them dangle off the end of the bed. Gingerly, she stood and slowly moved over toward the clothing, thoughts racing through her mind.  
  
There was a strange tone in the man's voice, like he was hiding something. Why was she really here and why did he tell her she was dead? These questions repeated over and over again until Trinity realized she was now looking at her reflection in the mirror. She fastened the last button as a quiet knock came at the door. Colte jumped out of subconscious fear not remembering where she was. She shook herself mentally and took a deep breath.  
  
"Come in." she stayed facing the mirror, a reflection of the door off to the side. Bonnie opened the door.  
  
"Devon wanted me to check on you to see if you were all right." Bonnie held the door ajar, not entirely entering the room.  
  
"I'm fine. Please tell Mr. Miles I will meet him in his office shortly." Trinity became quiet, still withdrawn from her slight scare. With a mere gesture, Bonnie acknowledged and left. Now everything was silent save the Trinity's light breathing. One last look at herself, very much alive, gave her some confidence to make the journey from her room to the office.  
  
Walking down the hallway she felt her legs become heavy with every step. Emotions and thoughts were flooding her midn. She had to stop. Standing there with not a soul around, Trinity told herself that there was a good reason for all of this and everything would eventually be explained. On this notion, she regained the power to walk the last few feet and enter Devon's office. 


	5. Away From It All

***Not much right now, but I hope this will give you guys enough to survive a day or two more. I've already got about half of the next chapter done. Also, I wanted to thank you all on the reviews you have been giving. It means a lot to me to know that you like what I'm writing.  
  
*****  
  
Dawn had come and went without any notice to Michael. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky and he felt the heat on his back that he became aware of the changes around him. KITT, his partner and friend, was only a few feet behind, his tracer quietly flashing back and forth. The two had been sitting on the beach since late the night before.  
  
After leaving the estate, Michael had driven around what seemed like the whole state of California, just thinking and trying to make sense of the whole thing. Growing weary of analyzing, he turned to the investigation on Maddison. The hour or so that he spent working on the case didn't turn up any immediate leads, but there were some promising propositions. Yet, it wasn't too long before he tired of that. Weary of work, Michael headed for the beach, and his haven away from the real world.  
  
Now there was nothing but the waves crashing onto the shore and a salty breeze making it's way over land. A gull cried somewhere off to the north and a car passed on the highway. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since they had left the estate. KITT returned to scanning his partner's vitals, detecting fatigue. He contemplated interuppting and soon came to the decision that it was time they return.  
  
"Michael?" KITT's voice was low, he didn't want to startled him.  
  
Knight jumped a little at the sound, he had completly forgotten about KITT. Shaking the feeling off he turned his head to look at the car.  
  
"Yeah, pal?" his eyes were fixed on the red tracer light, which looked faded as the bright sun reflected off of it.  
  
"I believe that we should return to the Foundation. Devon and Bonnie are probably worried." the volume of his voice became raised slightly so he could be heard more clearly.  
  
"If Devon and Bonnie were worried they would have used the comm link." he had turned back to look at the water. A few short moments passed and he stood up and faced KITT. "But I think you're right. We should be getting back." Michael picked up his jacket and walked the few short steps to the car. He patted the hood and slid into the driver's seat. Taking a deep breath, he put it into reverse, slid into a 180-degree turn, and headed back toward the Foundation. 


	6. What Lies Ahead

The first thing that Trinity noticed when she entered Mr. Miles' office were the pictures adorning an end table near the couch. Devon was no where to be seen at the moment, so she decided to take a look. She slowly walked over to the table, as all of her strength had not yet returned. There was only a handful of photos, but they were there none-the-less.  
  
The frames were set up as if they were a set of stairs, with the shortest ones in front and the taller ones behind. Trinity sat down on the couch and peered at the first one. The picture was in a tiny, neat little frame, and was of the woman she had seen earlier. Next to it, in a larger, wooden frame, was a group of people all standing around a black car. She recognized Mr. Miles and the other woman, but there was another man whom she had never seen. He looked strangely familiar to her. There was something about his eyes that gave her a sense of knowing.  
  
Moving on to the other pictures, Trinity noticed that the same man was in many of the others. It wasn't until a few moments later that she also saw that the same went for that black car.  
  
"Wow, someone has a crush on their car." she picked up the last frame which was a bit larger than the others. It was a single picture of the man and the car. It wasn't until then that she realized that there was something different about the car. The fact that the make of car had been released in the early eighties was already apparent, but for some reason this particular car didn't fit the description of your basic Trans Am.  
  
Trinity didn't have much time to dwell on the little details. It was then that Devon Miles entered his office. He looked up from the papers he was holding and gave her a small smile.  
  
"Please, do sit back down." he motioned for her to return to the spot she had occupied on the couch only seconds before. Trinity nodded and was again seated. Devon walked over and took his customary spot in the arm chair across from her. An uncomfortable silence followed as both were very unsure of how to "break the ice".  
  
"Mr. Miles," Colte moved to the edge of her seat and clasped her hands on her lap, "why am I here?" her eyes were set in a worried expression as she looked to the man for an answer. Devon found himself unable to move at the moment. The look in her eyes and tone of voice gave him a sense of deja vu as a flashback of the conversation with Michael came and went.  
  
He hesitated somewhat before deciding that an action on his part would be better suited in explaining the situation. Miles also found himself tiring of repeating this same story over and over again. Fumbling through the stack of papers beside him, Devon produced a newspaper clipping and handed it to Trinity. She took the paper and scanned the title, which read: ROOKIE L.A. COP KILLED IN HOME INVASION. Her own face appeared next to the headline.  
  
"What..." she began to question what it was she was reading but Devon quieted her with a single wave of his hand.  
  
"Read further." Devon's reply was calm, but resigned.  
  
Trinity stared at him a moment, trying to read his face. It was only the mere unammused look that urged her to read on. Minutes later she handed the article back and another silence fell between them. Thoughts were racing through her mind as she tried to remember every little detail about that night. The last thing she remembered seeing was the window to the fire escape, which at the time seemed so far away. Her train of thought was interupted when Devon began to speak.  
  
"I know this comes as a shock to you, Ms. Colte. It was equally surprising for myself. Believe me when I say that I had no intention of things progressing such as they did." his manner turned semi-businesslike as he straightened out the papers in front of him. At that time their lunch arrived. Bonnie walked into the office carrying a tray of sandwhiches and drinks. She set it down on the coffee table and took a seat next to Trinity.  
  
"You said you had some news to tell me." Trinity tried to push the meeting forward, as every instinct in her body told her that this could change her life, or rather inform her as to which path to follow.  
  
"Quite right. The original reason I wanted to contact you is that the Foundation has been informed of as to the identity of your birth parents." he leaned forward, resting his elbows on each arm of the chair. Colte gave him a quizzical look.  
  
"Why would your Foundation have anything to do with my birth parents?" she looked from Devon to Bonnie seeking an answer. She herself had only tried briefly to track down her birth mother but was unsuccessful. Besides, she had the love of her adopted parents and needed nothing more.  
  
"Well, when informed we found that your birth father was one of our employees." with that, Devon leaned over and picked up the larger photograph and handed it to Trinity. "His name is Michael Knight. He's been working for the Foundation for nearly 15 years."  
  
Trinity felt a hand on her shoulder and knew that it was Bonnie's. She just stared at the picture, letting the fact that this man was her father sink in. It took a while longer before she broke her gaze and looked up.  
  
"And my mother?" her voice was a whisper.  
  
"Her name was Stefanie. Sadly to say, she was killed on the day of her and Michael's wedding." there was a hint of sadness in Devon's voice as he recalled that day.  
  
There was no emotion from Trinity, but that of understanding. Looking down at the picture once more, she could make out somewhat of what this man, her father, was like. The black leather coat and blue jeans told her that he wasn't tied down by a family and was devoted to his job. The feeling that the car was not your average run-of-the-mill machine came back. Yet, she decided, that was a different story altogether, and one to be told later.  
  
"When can I meet him?" Trinity held the photograph closely to her as she questioned Miles. Devon gave an inward sigh of relief and smiled.  
  
"Very soon, I hope. Very soon..." 


End file.
